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SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAY TROLLEYS.

No. 425,720. Patented Apr. 15, 1890.

IN VE N TOR WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT I OFFICE.

FRANKLIN C. WHEELER, OF ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HENRY CORBET, OF SAME PLACE.

SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOR ELECTRIC-RAILWAY TROLLEYS.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 425,720, dated April 15, 1890.

' Application filed October 9, 1889. Serial No..326,3'78. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN 0. WHEELER, of St. Joseph, in the county of Buchanan and State of Missouri, have invented a new and Improved Safety Attachment for Electric- Railway Trolleys, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the annexed drawings, forming a part thereof, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of an electricrailway car to which my improvement has been applied. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the weight-tube, showing the weight-detent in position under the weight. Fig. '3 is a vertical section of the weight-tube, showing the weight released from the detent. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the weight-tube; andFig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on line m 00 in Fig. 3.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and eifective attachment for the trolleys of electric cars, by means of which the trolley may be drawn down when it jumps from the electric conductor, thus preventing it from being injured and from injuring the supports of the conductor.

My invention consists in the combination, with a car, of a tube containing a weight and provided with a detent for holding the weight in an elevated position, and a chain or cord connected with the weight and with the trolley, the whole being arranged so that when the trolley jumps from the conductor it will release the weight, whichwill draw down the trolley so that it will not come into contact with the overhead work.

The car A is arranged to run on the track B, and is provided with an electric motor grounded through the wheels and receivingv its current from a conductor G, through the trolley D and arm E, which is held in an elevated position by a spring in the usual way. The trolley D rides upon the under side of the conductor 0 and takes off the current necessary to drive the motor of the car.

To the end of the car is attached a vertical tube F, containing a weight G, and between ears a, proj eeting from the side of the tube, is pivoted a detent H, which projects. through a slot into the tube F and engages the weight G. In ears I), projecting from the side of the tube, is pivoted a lever I, carrying a stud c, which projects through a slot (Z in the detent H. The upper end of the lever I carries a loop a, through which passes a cord or chain J, one end of which is attached to an eye f, projecting from the upper end of the weight, the opposite end being connected with the free end of the trolley-supporting arm E. During the normal working of the trolley the weight G rests upon the detent H, and the cord or chain J is sufficiently slack to allow the trolley to follow the conductor 0. \Vhen the trolley D jumps from the conductor 0, the cord or chain J draws the lever I forward, and thus withdraws the detent from beneath the weight G, when the said weight falls and draws down the arm E, so that the trolley D cannot strike the supports of the conductor 0 or other overhead work.

It is obvious that I may substitute for the weight G a spring of sufficient power to draw down the trolley-arm.

The appliance may be attached to one end only of the car, or to both ends, as represented in the drawings.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination, with the trolley-supporting arm of an electric car, of a weight, a cord or chain connected with the weight and trolley-arin a detent arranged to hold the weight, and aweight-detaching device adapted to release the weight and cause it to draw down the trolley-arm, substantially as speci- 2. The combination, with the trolley-arm E of an electric car, of the tube F, the weight G contained by the said tube, the detent H,

the releasing-lever I, provided with the loop e, and the cord J, connected with the trolleyarm and with the .weight, substantially as specified.

FRANKLIN O. \VIIEELER.

Witnesses:

SAM SwAEEoED, JAS. SPURGEON. 

